A WINDSOR man punched a punter unconscious at an engagement party before lashing out five more times while the victim was on the ground.

Bradley McLauchlan, of Ricardo Road, Windsor, was allowed to walk free from court after wearing an electronic tag for the two years since the December 2019 attack.

He will have to pay a heavy compensation fee to his victim, however, after they were left with minor facial fractures following the incident in Windsor.

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Reading Crown Court heard how McLauchlan approached the victim after the latter had given him a ‘dirty looks’ over the course of the evening.

In a police statement, McLauchlan said the victim called him a ‘scumbag’ before opening his jacket.

The court heard how McLauchlan thought the victim had a weapon so he reacted by punching him in the face.

The punch knocked the man unconscious and McLauchlan proceeded to hit him five more times while he was on the ground.

Despite not remembering the incident and having X-rays at hospital, the victim was left with just minor facial fractures.

James Lachkovic, prosecuting, said McLauchlan had a previous conviction for assault occasioning actual bodily harm after a ‘random face-breaking incident’ outside a taxi rank in April 2018.

Edward Henry, defending, offered more insight into the incident between McLauchlan and the victim of the second assault.

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He said: “He had taken a dim view of his [McLauchlan] involvement in the previous [2018] assault incident.

“The defendant fully admits he misread the situation.

“He offered a guilty plea to ABH because he is deeply ashamed of his behaviour.”

His Honour Judge Dugdale responded: “All of this is good to take on board but he has got to stop punching people in the face.”

Before sentencing, the judge was informed of another incident in which McLauchlan was convicted of assaulting a police officer after being arrested in September 2020.

Addressing McLauchlan, Judge Dugdale said: “Sometimes life catches up with you and to an extent it has in your case.

“You punched your victim to the face and it was a big punch, leaving him unconscious.

“It left him with only minor fractures to his face.

“It was a lot worse in February 2018 when the person you punched suffered quite serious fractures.

“If you can’t get this under control everything you have worked towards in the past two years will be in the bin and you will be back in prison.”

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Judge Dugdale told the defendant he was handing him a community order as he had already spent more than two years under curfew via an electronic tag since the incident.

He added: “If this case had come in earlier and you hadn’t done 780 days under curfew you could be looking at going to prison today.

“I think you have made some progress since then. You have done the punishment but for your own benefit I want to make sure that there is progress.”

McLauchlan will have to take part in up to 30 rehabilitation activity days as part of his community order.

He was ordered to pay £1,000 compensation to the victim and was ordered not to contact him directly or indirectly for the next five years via a restraining order.

McLauchlan was sentneced at Reading Crown Court on Tuesday, March 1.